Convertible sleeping bag



May 12, 1970 J. A. PETERSON 3,510,889

CONVERTIBLE SLEEPING BAG I Filed April 8, 1968 10 I uai e arson,

5 dff'ys United States Patent 3,510,889 CONVERTIBLE SLEEPING BAG Judith A. Peterson, Washington, Mo., assignor to Kellwood Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 719,634 Int. Cl. A47g 13/09 U.S. Cl. 5-343 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A convertible sleeping bag is formed of a plurality of planar elements detachably secured together along the sides and bottom, as by slide fasteners, whereby, using the same bottom or body supporting element, the user may selectively attach a top or cover element of desired character, according to temperature requirements. The invention also contemplates, by the same construction, that a single sleeping bag may be converted into a double bag, using the same or similar bottom and cover elements and likewise permitting a selection of cover elements of different thermal characteristics.

My invention relates to sleeping bags of the general character long known to campers, comprising in general a generally oblong sack open at one end for admission of a persons body and formed of material which will protect the user from cold and moisture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Sleeping bags, as long known in the prior art, have been formed of a composite sheet of fabric, usually treated on the outside with moisture-resistant material, and often including a heat-insulating filler of fibrous material, foam or the like to provide high heat-insulating efficiency with a minimum of weight and bulk, said sheet being folded over on itself to provide an elongated sleeve or envelope of suitable size and shape to receive a human body. Said envelope is closed at the foot end thereof and also at least part-way along one side Where the free edges of the sheet meet.

In the modern versions of sleeping bags the envelope is detachably secured along the bottom and side by means such as slide fasteners, snappers or the like. Thus, the user, prior to entering the bag, may close the bottom end and the side part-way, leaving sufiicient space at the head end to permit entry of the body, after which the partly open side may be completely closed from the inside.

THE PRIOR ART It has heretofore been recognized that a campers needs for Warmth in a sleeping bag may vary according to the Weather, climate, season, or metabolism of the individual. In the standard type of sleeping bag, practically the only recourse of the camper for temperature control is to insert one or more blankets inside the bag for greater warmth while, in warm weather, the blankets may be removed or, in the mildest weather, the bag may be opened along the side and turned back. Such procedure has been recognized as, at best, only a makeshift expedient. The addition of a blanket adds to bulk and weight in transport and being readily disarranged in sleep, causes discomfort. On the other hand, opening the bag and exposing the body risks chilling.

Some recognition has been given to the problem in the prior art, as, for example, in British Pat. No. 476,162, dated Dec. 3, 1937. This patent discloses a solution substantially along the lines just discussed, i.e., provision of one or more detachable elements such as blankets which the user might elect to inclose within the bag or 3,510,889 Patented May 12, 1970 to omit therefrom, the bag being substantially in the standard form of a sheet-like member folded over on itself along one side.

Variations of said arrangement may be found in a number of U.S. patents, as exemplified in Howe 2,594,438, Apr. 28, 1952, Freepons 2,830,305, Apr. 15, 1958, and Adrian 2,972,757, Feb. 28, 1961.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION According to my invention, I provide a sleeping bag of the usual shape, size and material and being selectively variable regarding the degree of warmth desired as well as with regard to size, i.e., accommodation for one person or for more than one person.

I have solved this problem by the simple expedient of providing my improved sleeping bag with a base or body-supporting element, and a plurality of top or cover elements, said cover elements being so constructed as to provide a greater or less degree of heat insulation. Both base and cover elements are provided with fastening means along the bottom and sides thereof, whereby the cover elements are selectively interchangeable according to the degree of warmth desired by the sleeper.

As a variation of my invention, a plurality of base elements may be detachably secured together along their adjoining sides and selected cover elements detachably secured thereto, thus providing for the accommodation of two or more sleepers in the same bag.

When the bag is to be used for a plurality of sleepers, it will be obvious that the cover elements may be selected, according to thermal character, to meet the desires of each sleeper. Thus, one of the cover elements may be of a lesser degree of warmth than the other.

An important advantage of my invention is that, by purchasing a sleeping bag embodying said invention, including one bottom element and a plurality of top elements, one may be equipped for camping in either winter or summer with a maximum of comfort and convenience and without the need for inserting in the bag one or more loose blankets, adding to the Weight and bulk of the unit as well as a likelihood of the blankets being disarranged in sleep with discomfort to the user.

A further object of my invention is to provide an article of the class described which will be simple and inexpensive in construction and easy to manipulate.

Various other objects and advantages will become ap parent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings forming part of this specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sleeping bag con stituting one embodiment of my invention, as seen in use;

FIG. 2 is an exploded plan view of same, certain parts being cut away to show interior construction more clearly, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sleeping bag embodying my invention which has been converted into a double unit, as seen in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 indicates a planar base or bottom element of oblong shape and of appropriate length and width to support comfortably a human body. This element 10 is designed to serve as the bottom element of my improved sleeping bag. It may be of standard or any suitable construction, usually being in the form of an envelope of textile fabric, waterproofed on the outside and enclosing a suitable filler to provide a comfortable base upon which a persons body may rest, such as fibrous material, foam rubber, etc. It will be understood that the specific construction of element 10, as Well as the other details of sleeping bags embodying my invention, is not part of my invention except in the particulars hereinafter set forth.

Element is provided with detachable fastening means 12, 12 at the sides and detachable fastening means 13 at the bottom. While any suitable detachable fasteners may be used, such as snappers, etc., I prefer slide fasteners or zippers as they are especially convenient for manipulation from inside the bag.

Cooperating with base element 10 is a top or cover element 20 which may, like element 10, be a composite sheet, water-proofed on the outside and with a thermal filler of fibrous or foam material or the like. Element 20 also is provided with fastening means on three sides mating with the fasteners on element 10. Thus, I provide slide fasteners 22, 22' on the sides and 23 on the end.

It will be noted that the fasteners on each side and on the end of elements 10 and 20 are independent, permitting complete separation of element 20 from element 10.

By this means the user is permitted to make a selection of cover element of the desired thermal character.

Thus, it is contemplated that with the sale of a base element 10 there will be made available to the purchaser a plurality (at least two) of cover elements 20 and 20', one of which will provide a minimum of thermal protection while the other or others will provide a greater degree of insulation.

Accordingly, a camper may provide himself on a trip with several cover elements from which to select according to the temperature, or may use one for summer and another for winter camping.

Referring to FIG. 3, my invention makes available to the camper still another convenience in the way of convertibility from a single or a double bag. Thus, equipped with a pair of base elements 10 and 10, if double sleeping is desired, as in cold weather for economy of body warmth, the two ground elements may be attached together. To them is attached a pair of cover elements 20 and 20' which may be of similar or dissimilar thermal character, according to the desires of the respective individuals.

As seen in FIG. 3, the cover elements are attached to base elements 10 and 10 along opposite sides and at the bottom and may be attached to each other along the middle, as at 22, 22, thus forming one sleeping space of double the size required for one person.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art; hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described or uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my invention being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sleeping bag, comprising in combination a plurality of base elements disposed side by side and detachably secured together along their adjacent sides, each element being of a size and shape to support an average human body, and a cover element overlying each base element, said cover elements being each detachably secured to the bottom and outside edges of its underlying base element and said cover elements also being detachably secured along their adjacent sides to form a continuous sleeping space for a plurality of people closed at the bottom and sides thereof.

2. An article as in claim 1, wherein the fastening means consists of slide fasteners.

3. A sleeping bag, comprising in combination a bodysupporting bottom element and a plurality of independent cover elements having different thermal characteristics, all of said elements being of convenient size and shape to accommodate an average human body and having separate and discontinuous detachable slide fasteners along each side edge, as well as separate and discontinuous detachable slide fasteners along each bottom edge, whereby the user may selectively attach a cover element of desired thermal characteristics to the bottom element along said separate edges thereof.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3, including a companion sleeping bag identical to that defined in said claim, adapted to be positioned in adjacent relationship to the latter and afiixed thereto through the intermediary of the slide fasteners along the juxtaposed side edges of the bottom elements of the two sleeping bags, to form a sleeping bag capable of accommodating more than one human body.

5. A sleeping bag, comprising in combination a plurality of juxtaposed body-supporting elements and superposed cover elements, each of said elements being of oblong shape and size to accommodate an average human body, and each provided with separate detachable slide fasteners along each side edge as Well as separate detachable fasteners along each bottom edge, said slide fasteners along the juxtaposed edges of said body supporting elements being selectively engageable with the slide fasteners of the adjacent body-supporting element or with the slide fastener along the side edge of one of said cover elements, and said slide fasteners along the juxtaposed edges of said cover elements being selectively engageable with each other to form a continuous cover for a sleeping place for a plurality of bodies when said body-supporting elements are joined at their juxtaposed edges with the superposed cover elements affixed thereto at the outer side and bottom edges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,151,462 3/1939 Bulpit et al. 5-343 2,379,416 7/1945 Clark 5-343 XR 3,178,734 4/1965 Carrez 5343 3,341,869 9/1967 Whitman 5343 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner A. M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner 

